On Their Arms
by SketchmySkin
Summary: Christmas is upon the Hogwarts castle, and those needing healing find it in when they least suspect it. Hermione Granger opts to spend her holiday within the comforting walls of the library while Draco Malfoy spends his holiday at the castle hiding from his past. Healing and Romance ensues when the two are forced to face one another. All credit goes to JK Rowling for her creations.
1. Chapter 1

**Chapter One**

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Creator's Notes: This is a story of two young people recovering from the scars left by a great war. The two's pasts are more intertwined than it may seem on the surface. I hope you enjoy this one everyone! From the P.O.V of both Hermione Granger and Draco Malfoy. Let the reading begin! Review please as always, happy reading.

Once again all credit goes to JK Rowling for her beautiful creations.

Also rated M for upcoming language and sexual implications. Readers beware.

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_Draco_

Draco was a Malfoy. He was a pure blooded wizard in a world where that didn't mean as much as it should've. He walked alongside witches and wizards with Muggle blood flooding through their systems and they were seemingly happy. Draco Lucius Malfoy was not happy. His family had become figureheads within the Magical Community. The Malfoys were cowards, snakes in the grass. At the end of the War the Malfoys had fled from Voldemort and were thus exempt from punishment from the Ministry of Magic. They were allowed to stay in their home as it was thoroughly torn apart by the Ministry to ensure that there was nothing illegal within their possession that constituted Dark Magic. This, unfortunately for Lucius and Narcissa was most of the collection of valuables they had established over the years.

The Malfoys had fallen and Draco was one of the few to hit the hardest. He had shamed his family and they treated him as such. He had departed for Hogwarts with a light sob from his mother and a thundering silence from his father. Climbing into a cab he was alone when he entered Platform 9 ¾ for the upcoming school year.

The year had gone on without incident, something Draco couldn't remember happening in all of that time that he had attended there. And now Christmas vacation was upon the castle. Snow was falling softly outside and in. So here Draco stood, wrapped tightly in his cloak in the snow watching his classmates leave for their holiday. His holiday would be spent within the unjudging eyes of the castle walls away from the scorn that he had felt from the majority of his fellow students. The youngest Malfoy was ready to have a break from the passed judgment that has hung over him since the war. What a nice holiday it will be.

_Hermione_

Hermione Granger had turned down the Weasley's invitation to spend Christmas at the Burrow with the Weasleys plus one. Harry Potter was more than happy to escape to his surrogate families' for a small vacation. Hermione however felt better staying at Hogwarts for her Christmas vacation. Her first Christmas without her parents and she couldn't imagine spending it anywhere else beside her home away from home, Hogwarts. The Golden Trio had returned to Hogwarts when it reopened for the school year to complete their schooling so they could return to some form of normality. The three had stayed at the Burrow with the Weasley's where Hermione and Harry were adopted, symbolically and realistically. Without her parents Molly and Arthur had stepped into the role quite easily as they already had with Harry.

Hermione was feeling smothered, she simply wanted to return to her reading but no one in the Weasley household seemed to hold any value in her books. The house had been veiled in sorrow over Fred's death and George was rarely seen at home. He threw his depression into running his business and because of his drive, the shop was really thriving. Weasleys' Wizard Wheezes was quickly gaining fame, and shop patrons were often shocked to see magical hologram of Fred walking around. Some nights when Hermione climbed the stairs of that magical shop she could hear the two boys arguing back and forth. Living versus hologram. George hadn't let go and Hermione didn't think he ever would.

Harry spent his days laughing alongside Ginny (though Molly and Arthur did their best to keep the two apart) and riding his broomstick out in the yard, spending hours in the open sky without a thought of the world below. Hermione would often check outside of her bedroom window to ensure he was still there. She felt like she was going to look out there one day and Harry Potter would be gone. He hadn't disappeared yet and she tried to calm her nerves. She was being silly.

Ron had grown. Hermione often woke in the middle of the night, climbing the stairs of the Burrow softly to not wake anyone while on her mission of making herself a cup of tea. She usually found Ron sitting at the kitchen table, a cold cup of tea waiting in his hands completely untouched. He was staring off in the distance and didn't acknowledge her till she took the cup from his hands to make him a fresh cup. He never drank the tea; he merely let the tea sit in his hands so he could soak up the heat. Tea in the middle of the night made his stomach hurt, he would often mutter to her. They did not become the couple that everyone had imagined they would. Nothing had changed between them from the friendship they had spent so long growing together, some hand holding and stolen kisses were the only changes.

Hermione gave Harry a long hug, and tucked some of his long hair behind his ear the way a mother would do. Ron waited impatiently and gave her a soft hug and kiss. They were on their way home on the Hogwarts train for the Holidays and with one last assurance that she didn't want to join them they were off. Hermione watched them go for a minute before pulling her cloak tighter and turning to rush back inside of the castle. She wanted to get back to her books; they had been waiting for her full attention for some time.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter Two.

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Creator's Notes: It starts picking up people! I promise!

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_Hermione_

Hermione awoke and felt overwhelmingly alone. She had not been alone since the war had ended and she had been hustled back to the Burrow. It was a lovely feeling. She climbed out of the confines of her bed and pulled her Gryffindor robe close. She had left her window open overnight to enjoy to cool breeze and a small pile of snow had formed on the sill. The cool breeze had felt invigorating in the stifling room which Hermione was alone in; the girls that normally accompanied her had all left with happy laughter for their separate destinations. This left Hermione with a room to herself which didn't bother her in the least. Crookshanks yawned from her bed and stared lazily at her.

The Gryffindor common room was eerily quiet as Hermione passed through on her way to the Great Hall. With one of her textbooks tucked safely under her arm she crawled through the Portrait of the Fat Lady, Hermione was suddenly looking forward to a morning of hot tea and studying without interruption. It seemed like a dream. As she entered the Great Hall she was reminded of what time of year it was. The Great Hall was decorated to full Hogwarts standard. The twelve towering Christmas trees were decorated and had little fairies flying around their branches, it looked like they were playing hide and go seek. A light warm snow was falling from the bewitched ceiling that dusted over hanging mistletoe and holly. It was quite cheerful and Hermione allowed herself a small smile.

One cup of tea later accompanied with warm toast and Hermione was ready to get to her book. She stayed seated at her table when her food disappeared and spread her books out in front of her. A few paragraphs in and Hermione barely noticed the steaming tea cup that appeared beside her hand. It was at a few pages in that Hermione finally came up for air to sip her fresh tea when she noticed the table directly facing her. Someone was eating a late breakfast and they appeared to be the only two in the Great Hall. One settling sip of tea later Hermione had the urge to look at the student again.

Hermione had not put much thought into Draco Malfoy since her return to Hogwarts castle. She had purposefully cast all Malfoys out of her mind and her mental state had become peaceful since. The scar that adorned her forearm was given to her in the Malfoy Manor where Draco resided and was a painful reminder of the entire Malfoy household. Still, as Hermione sipped her tea and her eyes rested on Draco's bent head she felt a small flutter of emotion. His bright blonde hair was manicured as it always had been and he was eating rather slowly. His usually bright skin was a dulled grey and it looked as though he had lost weight. He was wearing a suit that had become his trademark within his last year at Hogwarts that Hermione found quite distasteful.

At her mere thought of distasteful Hermione found herself staring into the snapping eyes of Draco Malfoy. Brown met grey and Hermione felt suddenly embarrassed for her loud, insulting thoughts. She broke eye contact first to stare into her tea cup which was growing increasingly cold. She kept her eyes down as the boy stood and quickly stepped out of the Hall with a bang. Her tea cup refilled itself so it was steaming and suddenly Hermione wasn't in the mood for tea.

_Draco_

Draco hadn't acknowledged Hermione Granger's existence since returning to Hogwarts. Hermione had been a personal victim of the Malfoy family and looking upon that brown haired know-it-all Draco felt flashes of raw emotion. It happened that she apparently was one of the students also staying at Hogwarts during Christmas vacation and Draco suddenly realized it may be harder than he wanted to avoid her. Draco felt comfortable when he was skirting around avoiding things that reminded him of his past. Upon returning to the castle Draco found that nearly impossible with all of his victims crammed into small classes alongside him. And here, when he had assumed the worst of it was over for the time being he was forced to look into the face of one of the people his family had hurt the most.

Draco had heard the rumors involving Miss Granger. She had bewitched her parents so they wouldn't remember the daughter they loved so much. And she still had the scar on her forearm. Draco's stomach knotted painfully and he forced those thoughts away. He hadn't expected to hear Miss Granger's thoughts so clearly but with her eyes boring holes into his bent head he couldn't help but hear. His escape had not been as graceful as he would've hoped but it was effective and he found himself able to breathe again when he reached the hallways. A large painting of Severus Snape was hanging opposite the door to the Great Hall. His face looked stern but the students gazing upon it now knew the kindness that was hiding under the exterior. Draco couldn't escape those black eyes as he walked past.

There was something in the air as Draco wandered almost aimlessly around the Hogwarts castle. Granger's voice was resounding inside of his tightly locked mind; distasteful. Draco had always found his suits to be stunning and commanding respect. It was the way his father had taught him to dress and he had always mindlessly followed the example. With that thought Draco suddenly wanted to peel the suit off and find something more natural to wear. He wanted to blend in. He found his way to the Slytherin Dungeon and mumbling the password he felt suddenly at home. The Slytherin Dungeon was shaded in green and he looked out the windows onto the lake to see what was happening to swim by. As he watched he loosened his tie and unbuttoned the front of his jacket. He found the water incredibly soothing these days and couldn't image not having his Common Room submerged.

With this thought in mind he retired to his bedroom to change and grab his bathing supplies. A nice relaxing soak would do him a world of good at this moment and he was almost nearly guaranteed some time alone as most of the male students had gone for the holiday. A pair of black Muggle sweat pants that Draco had bought when visiting a Muggle "mall" was hidden deep within one of his drawers. He was sure he would never have had a use for it but owning them caused him a small spark of normality so he kept them. He gathered himself together and made way for the bath.

The halls were comfortingly quiet and Draco found himself humming softly. A new habit he had formed to occupy his mind in long stretches of silence. He almost didn't notice Hermione Granger walking towards him, her eyes locked hard onto him. She had books clutched to her chest – _of course _– and she stopped subtly.

"Draco?" Her voice was a shock and he paused before her. There was distance between them but he kept his eyes on her forehead anyway, trying to not look into her large brown eyes. Manners dictated that he answers her,

"Miss Granger?" He shifted his towel over his arms and tried to seem like he was in a rush. She too was shifting from foot to foot but she was brave enough to try and catch his eye. When he finally risked looking at her eyes he saw, with great surprise that she was no longer trying to make eye contact she was in fact allowing her eyes to seemingly roam over his physique. He was suddenly desperate to rush this along.

"You look very nice." Her eyes snapped back to his and she graced him with a small smile. This caused a soft fluttering in the pit of his stomach and he suddenly wanted to vomit. She was on her way past him, a healthy blush clearly visible on her face and neck. As she walked away Draco got the lasting smell of new books and a light floral perfume that suddenly had him gunning for the bath. As he walked away a soft _Thank you_ slipped from his mouth and although it was too late for her to hear it still made him feel better.

He had never been so happy to enter the bath and as he closed the door behind him he realized how desperate he had been for some privacy.

_Hermione_

Hermione, once out of sight of Draco Malfoy slugged against the wall and tried to steady her raging heart. Never in all of her days did she suspect that she would catch Malfoy creeping around the halls in sweat pants. And never did she suspect that it would affect her so physically. She had certainly seen her fair share of boys in lounging attire; her two best friends were male after all. But baring witness to a Malfoy in Muggle attire was something new altogether. She tried to steady her heart and calm the beads of sweat that were suddenly forming on her palms. She was suddenly a teenage girl, something that had not happened before to this know-it-all. What an interesting new development.

Hermione gathered herself as she always had and was on her way, steeled nerves and rushed steps in tow.


	3. Chapter 3

Creator's Notes: Sorry I haven't updated this in too long everyone. Life is crazy and I am an easily distracted girl! Hope you like it.

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_Hermione_

Hermione Granger was knee deep in piles of books and hadn't felt this at ease in quite some time. She was grateful that she was basically alone in the castle because she spent the majority of last night under the attack of night terrors. When she awoke she was in tears and skipped breakfast to stow herself in the school's library. So here she was, using her wand to take books off of the highest shelves and creating small piles around her feet. She was excited to have unread pages awaiting her attention and found herself peeking towards the Restricted Section. Her attention was distracted when someone burst into the library.

Hermione was of course a teenager. And along with being a teenager comes hormones. Hermione was not the typical teenager so it had never really experienced her hormones the way some other teenagers her age might have. But when Hermione turned, her wand posed holding a rather heavy looking book above her head she found herself staring into the face of a surprised looking Malfoy. Seeing his face, and his well-manicured hair above his piercing eyes she found herself experiencing the strange symptoms that go along with teenage hormones. Her stomach tightened painfully as she noted shamefully that he was not wearing a suit, rather his school uniform.

Draco was staring at her for a long moment before taking a breath.

"I did not realize this room was occupied." Suddenly his face turned a sickly green and he looked as though he would be ill. Hermione was confused until she followed his gaze. Since the school was vacant Hermione hadn't bothered to wear long sleeves as she had done the rest of the year. She kept her forearms covered so she would not be reminded of the scar that waited there for her. She had worn short sleeves today and in the absence of another human she forgot that her scar was showing. In very much an un-Malfoy like manner he turned quickly and exited the library looking very pale.

Hermione went back to her books suddenly feeling ashamed and wishing she could tug her sleeves down over her arms. Her piles took her attention again and as she stood sorting she slowly forgot the look on Draco's face.

_Draco_

Draco had been a child the last time he threw up. Now he stood in the boy's bathroom his head bent over a porcelain sink as he was sick. Seeing that mark on Granger's arm had affected him much more severely than he thought it would. He had never allowed himself to think of that terrible day, when he watched his classmate being tortured by his aunt. The rumors around the school were that Hermione still screamed in her sleep and the girls' sharing a room with her had to put a silencing charm around her bed so that they could sleep. With that thought Draco heaved into the sink again and felt a tremor go through his back.

Why was this so hard? He hadn't thought that facing Hermione would've been this challenging, but he had also never thought the War would've happened the way it did. He stared into the bathroom mirror as memories flooded through him of Voldemort instructing him to kill Dumbledore.

Anyone walking past that bathroom would've heard Draco being sick. Fortunately – or perhaps unfortunately – for Draco the only person that passed was Hermione. She was on her way back to the Gryffindor Common Room from the library, a large pile of books following her at the end of her wand. She stopped outside of the bathroom and listened carefully. His retching made her a tad sick herself but with a sudden determination in her step she ran past the bathroom.

When Draco exited the bathroom quite some time later he was exhausted and wishing desperately for bed. He found himself face to face with someone that he would've rather never seen again. Hermione was waiting for him in that large lonely hallway. He stared at her but couldn't force himself to say anything.

"This will calm your stomach." Hermione held a cup out to him. Draco stared at it for a long minute before,

"I don't need your pity." He certainly sounded like himself again, with a deep breath he moved past her – doing his best to not look at her – and strode down that hall. He felt sick to his stomach but had a sliver of confidence in his chest that he had not felt for some time.

Hermione was left in that hallway with the warm cup in her hands. Clearly the Malfoy hadn't changed and she couldn't quite understand why she felt so scorned. Biting the inside of her lip roughly to keep her tears to herself she stalked back to the Gryffindor Common Room. She didn't need him; she had Crookshanks and her books waiting for her.

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Hermione sat with her feet tucked under her in front of the roaring fire. Her large orange cat was sitting in her lap and an open book lay in her hands. She was utterly distracted. For the first time in her life she couldn't take her mind off of the annoying Draco Malfoy. Seeing him react so physically to her arm had caused her to think that he had changed, but clearly he was still the arrogant ass that he had always been. After the war Hermione had tried to think the best of people, she tried to understand and be accommodating to the aftermath of what the war had done. But Draco was hard to forgive; she sighed and stared into the fire while lightly stroking Crookshanks behind the ears.

_:~:_

Draco sat on the floor in the Slytherin Dungeons, he was still sick to his stomach and desperately wishing he had taken that tonic from Hermione Granger. He let his head roll back and ran a rough hand through his hair. He was frustrated and feeling the same stings of loneliness that he had been avoiding. Without another thought on the subject he stood and left the dark Common Room.

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Creator's Notes: So there it is guy, the next installment. I promise it will NOT take me so long to update it this time around. More to come soon! Review as always pretty please. And thank you to all of you that have supported me and sent me such lovely comments, it really motivates me and keeps me going.


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